April 18, 2017

The barriers to extending access to higher education are lower than ever with the vast and rapid evolution of online education opportunities, but it’s up to institutions to adopt these offerings and create new pathways to postsecondary credentials.The 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act is often considered the landmark in the democratization of higher education, assuring postsecondary access to more than the privileged few and ensuring, simultaneously, the education of scholars and the training of a highly skilled workforce. Over 150 years later we need to re-envision the implementation of the concepts put forward through the grand purpose of that step and the series of Acts that followed (Hatch Act of 1887, Morrill Act of 1890, Smith-Lever Act of 1914) in light of today’s technology and needs.